David Stark Sketchbook: OMG! It Looks Just Like the Rendering: Target ToGo !

We ADORE creating pop-up stores, and a week or so ago, we pulled off an ambitious retail feat that I am proud to share! We opened three different stores, in three different cities, New York, Washington D.C. and San Francisco, all on the same day! Target is well known for innovative thinking and for essentially inventing the pop-up store model, but these were not typical shops where you go inside, walk aisles, and try on clothes. Rather, our TARGET TO GO shops were one part roadside ice-cream stand, one part, drive through, and all parts fun.

The concept was simple: A menu board showcased 50 numbered gift items for the entire family. You marched up to the window, ordered by item number, and then quickly, a satchel of pre-wrapped gifts was handed right to you! FAST. EASY. FABULOUS.

We were right beneath the Highline in New York City, and our structure beautifully melded into the surrounding architecture of the city’s iconic Meat Market district.

In San Francisco and DC, Tudor style structures were scaled to their respective locations and propelled guests to a slice of North Pole holiday cheer. See the rendering below and images of the real-life structures that follow.

These shops were only open for four days, and it was particularly exciting and challenging to create the actual structure of the stores, something much more complicated than creating a store interior in an existing building. The weather was not necessarily on our side, but we were water tight and the shoppers came in hordes anyway!

This was an amazing project and BRAVO to my good friends at Target! You guys always WOW me with your appetite for change and for the new. Thank you for including us in your groundbreaking endeavors! The honor is ours.